Identification tag for cleansing or storage establishments



July 21, 1953 I. K. STERNBERG 2,645,867 IDENTIFICATION TAG FOR CLEANSING OR STORAGE ESTABLISHMENTS iled NOV. 25, 1949 1521983331): 112 111 1 K fiteflnbeu by 75mm 2 furor fli'i'bflneyg the essence of this invention as defined Patented July '21, 1953 IDENTIFICATION TAG FOR CLEANSING on STORAGE ESTABLISHMENTS.

Israel K. Sternberg, Lynn, Mass.; Rose Sternberg and Howard Rubin, executors of said Israel K..

Sternberg, deceased Application November 25, 1949, Serial No. 129,403

2 Claims. 1 g

This invention relates to identification tags and pertains more particularly to improvements in identification tags for use in laundries, dry clean ing establishments, for storage shops, or the like.

The principal purpose of the inventionis to provide an identification tag of simple and economical construction, which may be removably afilxed to garments, rugs or other articles left for laundering, dry cleaning or storage; which may remain on the garment during laundering or dry cleaning, without damage to the tag, until the garment is delivered to the customer; which has removable and replaceable index studs or buttons, whereby the tag may be reused repeatedly with other indicia applied thereto; and which thus eliminates the expenseof preparing new identification tags for each garment or other article deposited for cleansing or storage, the cost of marking machines or the like now commonly employed in laundries, or the labor of applying hand written indicia, and the damage which may result to garments from marking inks or from wire staples employed to afiix the conventional identification tags or tickets thereto.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide an identification tag havinga body portion made of flexible plastic material or other pliable material which will withstand the washing or dry cleansing operations, and having a plurality of slits or openings for removably receiving a number of individual index studs or buttons; a metal shield applied to one end of the tag body, and providing a space for a permanent index symbol; a spring clip attached 'over the metal shield and arranged removably to hold a safety pin for attaching the, identification tag to the article deposited for cleansing or storage; the fold of the shield preferably having agroove in which the shank of the safety pin seats and having notches receiving the legs of the spring clip, whereby the safety pin is effectively secured but is easily removed and replaced, when necessary.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it will be understood that the structural details of the tag herein shown and described may be varied for particular purposes without departing from in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the identification tag, prepared for. affixation to one piece of a three-piece garment such as a mans suit, deposited for dry cleaning;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation looking to the right of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an exploded view showing in perspective the several elements of the tag, the tag body being partly broken away.

The identification tag illustrated in the drawing is, as aforesaid, designed for application to a three-piece garment such as a mans coat, vest and trousers, buta similar tag may obviously be applied to other garments and other articles age establishment, for the purpose of designating the ownership of the earticle, until it is returned to the owner. The tag comprises a body portion I I, consisting of a strip of pliable plastic material, or other pliable material' which will withstand laundering or cleansing, said strip having a plu-- rality of slits or'openings I2 for removably receiving a number of index'elements, such as the double-headed studs or buttons I 3, made of metal or of plastic material. One or both faces of each of said buttons display an identifying symbol, such as a numerahas shown, a letter, or a combination of the two. I

'A folded metal shield I4 embraces one end of the strip II, and is secured thereto by eyelets I5 or other fastenings passing through openings I61 and I I in the shield and strip, respectively. The fold of the shield is preferably formed with a depressed longitudinal groove .I8 extending across the top of the shield, and with two pairs of transverse notches I9.

A folded spring clip 20 is applied over the top of the shield, and the curled ends or eyes 2| of the clip are secured by the eyelets I5. The bights 22 of the legs of the wire clip are received in the notches I9 of the shield I4. The shank 23 of a'conventional safety pin 24 is snapped into the shield groove I8, beneath the clip, by sliding it upwardly under the spring tongue 25 thereof, which normally engages one side of the shield I4. The safety pin is thereby securely but removably attached to the identification tag, in such a manner that it is unlikely to be dislodged during the handling of the tag or during the washing or cleansing operations performed upon the articles to which the tag is affixed by the pin.

Either or both of the exposed surfaces of the shield I 4 may display a permanent index symbol 26, such as the letter fA, to designate the branch office or shop at which garments are left for washing or dry cleansing. The numerals on the respective studs or index elements I3 preferably correspond with the last three digits 3 of the customers serial number customarily stamped on a conventional receiving ticket, made out in duplicate, one copy of which is delivered to the customer when the article is deposited for cleansing or storage; but other identification systems may be employed, as desired.

In the specification form illustrated in Fig. l, for example, the consecutive numerals 93-5" on the respective buttons l3 thus designate the owner of the article to which the tag is applied. The button or index element 21 adjacent the bottom of the tag is used when a garment, for example, consists of more than one piece; the symbol 3?, for example, indicating a three piece suit or the like. In such case, each piece of the suit will bear an identification tag like that shown in Fig. 1.

It will be understood that the buttons 13 and 21 are manually inserted in the slits 12 of the tag body at the time the receipt form is made out for the customer. The tags remain on the deposited articles, as aforesaid, during processing or storage thereof and until the article or articles are delivered to the customer. The tag is then removed by unclasping the safety pin, the index elements I3 and 21 are detached, and the tag body II is then ready for the reception of other index elements, to designate other articles deposited for cleansing or storage. The detached studs or buttons may be placed in suitable receptacles, with other studs where they will be available for reuse.

An identification tag constructed as herein described admirably serves the purposes and ob- 1 jccts of this invention, as heretofore explained. The device is very convenient, efiicient and eco nomical when used by cleansing and storage establishments, andthe customers articles are not damaged or defaced by markings applied to the articles at the time of deposit, or by removal of stapled fabric tags after delivery.

I claim:

1. An identification tag for articles to be cleansed or stored, comprising a relatively pliable body portion having a plurality of openings therethi'ough for receiving removable index elements, a folded relatively stiff shield embracing a mar- 4 ginof said body portion, a folded spring-wire clip straddling the fold of said shield and having eyes at the free ends thereof, fasteners passing through said shield and body portion and through said eyes for permanently securing said parts together, the fold of said shield having a depressed longitudinal groove therein and having pairs of transverse notches, the spring clip having wire leg portions received in the respective pairs of notches and a resilient tongue on one side of said shield, said groove and said leg portions forming between them a seat for retaining the shank of a safety pin.

2. An identification tag for articles to be washed, cleansed or stored, comprising a strip of relatively pliable material having a plurality of longitudinally spaced slits therein for receiving removable index elements, a folded metal shield embracing one end of said strip, a spring- Wire clip having folded leg portions straddling the folded shield and having eyes at the ends 01' the respective leg portions, fasteners passing through both sides of the folded shield, through said strip and through said eyes for permanently securing said parts together, the fold of said shield having a depressed longitudinal groove paralleling said strip end and having pairs of spaced transverse notches respectively receiving the leg portions of said clip, said clip having a resilient, looped tongue normally bearing against one side of said shield, said groove and said leg portions forming between them a seat for retaining the shank of a safety pin.

ISRAEL K. STERNBERG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,159,329 Plympton Nov. 2, 1915 1,198,826 Dansereau Sept. 19, 1916 1,348,546 Cutler Aug. 3, 1920 1,461,565 Velte July 18, 1923 1,687,361 Carroll et al. Oct. 9, 1928 1,894,906 Henry Jan. 17, 1933 2,197,738 Balthasar Apr. 16, 1940 2,455,007 Hayslip Nov. 30, 1948 

